My Life In Ruins

One of the results of being married is that many times you end up getting to watch movies that you would not normally select for yourself. The opportunity to watch a "chick flick" with my wife happens because it is important to select movies that gives her the romance and emotional connection that she at times loves to watch rather then just the guy movies all the times. The other day I went to the Redbox with a mission from my wife saying that I knw what she likes, because of that I selected the movie My Life in Ruins.

This movie stars Nia Vardalos who was the main star in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Vardalos plays Georgia an American academic who lost her job teaching in Athens. She ends up working as a travel guide in Greece. Georgia has found that each tour group has a goofy couple, a frat boy, a depressed teen, a couple that is fighting, divorced women on the hunt and a funny guy. This group is no exception but along the way Georgia rediscovers herself and is able to refind her romantic side. This film uses the age old "chick flick" formula of two unlikely friends slowly falling one for another through one characters ability to grow and rediscover herself.

While there were many moments that I found myself trying to keep myself focused on the movie, I greatly enjoyed seeing, albeit just on a screen, the ruins of Greece. While the ruins were great the Parthenon seemed to lose a little of its luster as cranes were in the screen and looked like they were being used to possible hold up some parts of the ruins. It would have been much better to have moved the spotting of the scene to a different angle so that the cranes would be out of the shots of the Parthenon.

I did enjoy the performance of Richard Dreyfus, who plays the funny guy on the trip. Dreyfus gives some great advice and helps bring the message of the movie that it is important to take advantage of the moments we have in life and to not be too stiff for we never know when we may not be able to have those moments anymore. Dreyfus give probably the most memorable line in the movie about a pill made by pfizer and paid for by Medicare. The characters on the trip helped give the movie its comedic moments that help keep the movie from getting too serious and dull. Sheila Bernette plays an elderly woman who just so happens to be a kleptomaniac. It is rather quite funny to see the different ways in which she distracts shopkeepers to put objects into her bag.
T
his film though did not have much depth to it and was just below alright. I am giving this movie one bucket of popcorn out of five. This movie although not great was worth the cost of a dvd rental from Redbox.

-The Movie Man-